Plateau Indians in Olden Times

For Kids

The Plateau area of the United States includes all or part of
the
non-coastal regions of the modern US States of Washington, Oregon,
parts of California and
Montana, and the Canadian province of British Columbia. This
region extends from the Cascade Mountains east to the Rocky
Mountains. Two major
river systems, each with many tributaries, run though the
Plateau area – the Columbia and the Fraser.
The climate varies from
cold, wet and forested in the north to cold, dry, and
desert-like in the south.

People have lived in the Plateau region
for at least 10,000 years. The
Plateau offered everything the people needed for thousands of year. They had
fresh water, lots of game and fish, and wild berries and nuts and vegetables.
They learned to use medicinal plants. They used reeds and hide to make
clothes and build homes. Life was
good. There were some changes of course. About 4,000 years ago, grinding tools
were invented. The bow and arrow was
invented in 500 BCE. But mostly, the
basic lifestyle remained similar for 10,000 years.
(It was not until the introduction of the
horse in the early 1700s that change really began.)

The climate dictated much of the culture.
The people were semi-nomadic because of their food gathering activities. They
gathered salmon and veggies in the summer and hunted game in the fall. They
collected roots, berries, and nuts. They had permanent winter quarters, but
semi-permanent and temporary summer quarters.
They stored food for the cold winter months.